Reusable waste tour through Rhineland-Palatinate
Environment Minister Höfken, together with cooperation partners, kicks off the statewide reusable campaign "Don't litter - #borg's dir" at the Vorderpfalz student union in Ludwigshafen.
"Around 2.8 billion disposable cups for hot drinks are consumed every year. This means that the quick coffee on the hand causes around 40,000 avoidable tons of waste and 84 tons ofCO2 in Germany every year. These figures show: We must act - everyone is called upon to do so. Because only together can we tackle this problem," said Environment Minister Ulrike Höfken today at the Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz in Ludwigshafen, where she gave the starting signal for the statewide reusable campaign "Müll nicht rum - #borgs dir". The visit to the Studierendenwerk is also the start of her two-week reusable tour, during which the minister will visit initiatives and institutions in Rhineland-Palatinate that are already working to reduce waste.
With just one click: New website enables search for reusable suppliers
"In Rhineland-Palatinate, numerous reusable systems have already been established by municipalities and companies, which we would like to bring together and support with our reusable campaign in order to jointly save on disposable items and avoid waste under the umbrella brand 'Müll nicht rum - #borgs dir'," Höfken led. The centerpiece of the campaign is the new website www.muellnichtrum.rlp.de, which provides information on various reusable systems for hot beverages in Rhineland-Palatinate. By means of a map, citizens can find out with one click which initiative is located in their vicinity and in which cafés, bakeries or gas stations the deposit cups can be exchanged again or their own reusable cup filled. "We see the new website as a platform for information and exchange. It makes it easier for citizens and interested stakeholders to use reusable systems with the clear map. In addition, municipalities and cities can gain ideas and suggestions to initiate further projects. Currently, 18 cooperation partners such as cities and municipalities, providers of returnable cup deposit systems, associations and guilds of bakers and confectioners, universities, waste management companies, and environmental associations are participating in our umbrella brand. And we are looking forward to more cooperation partners," the minister emphasized.
Support for other reusable offerings planned
The reusable campaign will initially start with a focus on reusable systems for hot beverages. "Next year, we want to expand the campaign to include other reusable offerings such as cans for cheese or sausage or nets for fruit and vegetables. Citizens can then look up, for example, in which butcher shops or supermarkets they can have the sausage they buy filled into their own containers. In this way, we want to save more resources step by step, relieve the burden on our planet and protect the climate," explained the Environment Minister.
StudierendenwerkVorderpfalz: pioneer in the introduction of a reusable cup deposit system
A cooperation partner and pioneer in the introduction of a reusable cup deposit system is the Studierendenwerk Vorderpfalz. Already in 2018, the Studierendenwerk introduced the deposit system at some cafeterias, and since September of this year , all locations in Ludwigshafen, Worms, Landau and Germersheim have been connected to the "ReCup" deposit system. "Around 14,000 disposable cups used to go in the trash every year in Ludwigshafen alone - that's over now," said managing director Andreas Schülke. "Sustainability is not a goal, but a daily journey that you have to be prepared to take as a company, and in steps that customers also follow. But it's definitely worth it for all of us in the end, because one thing is clear: we have an obligation to handle our shared resources with care," Schülke continued.
Background:
The reusable campaign "Müll nicht rum - #borg's dir" (Don't litter - #borg's you) grew out of the "Coffee-to-go" round table, which the Ministry of the Environment launched back at the beginning of 2018. The goal: to develop approaches to waste prevention and promote plastic recycling. As a first step, the Ministry of the Environment successfully launched the BecherBonus initiative back in May of this year, which is a building block of the reusable campaign. The 560 participating outlets now offer a discount of at least 10 cents per hot drink if customers bring their own reusable cup. Under the umbrella brand "Müll nicht rum - #borg's dir," reusable cup deposit systems are now being brought together and supported alongside the BecherBonus. More information is available online at: www.muellnichtrum.rlp.de
To draw attention to existing initiatives and the reusable campaign, Minister Höfken will visit three otherprojects and initiatives that are committed to waste prevention during her reusable tour from October 15 to 25, 2019. In addition, a short film will draw attention to the reusable campaign, which will be shown in 23 cinemas in Rhineland-Palatinate over the next four weeks.
Otto Schott Gymnasium Mainz - Kick-off Plastic Competition 4.0
Thursday, October 17, 2019, at 3 p.m.
An Schneiders Mühle 1, 55122 Mainz
Bakery chain "Die Lohner's" - Participation in the "BecherBonus" with 146 branches
Thursday, October 24, 2019, at 3 p.m.
Marktstraße / corner Neustraße, 56727 Mayen
Café Speh - Participation in the Felke Cup
Friday, October 25, 2019, at 10:30 a.m.
Marumstraße 2, 55566 Bad Sobernheim
